The One where Rachel doesn't tell
by featherkitten
Summary: What if Rachel hadn't told everyone about Joey's party on the roof?


Rachel enters Monica's apartment wearing a bath-robe. "Hey... Hi you guys! Listen, you know what? I'm not feeling really well. I think I can't get out for the play."

**"**Really?" Ross asks. "Wh-what's wrong?"

**"**I don't know! I think I have the flu or something." Rachel sees Charlie. "Oh, hello. I don't think we've met before."

**"**I'm sorry," Ross says. "Rachel, this is Charlie Wheeler, she's a colleague."

Rachel smiles. **"**Oh, hi! I would shake your hand but... I'm sure you don't want to get the flu!"

Charlie smiles back. "Oh, that's okay."

Rachel can feel Monica's glare. _This isn't going to work. _

**"**Hey, Rachel, can I see you for a sec?"

**"**Sure!" Monica drags her into the hallway.

**"**You're not sick!"

**"**What? Yes, I am!"

**"**Okay, then, why are you..." She opens Rachel's robe revealing Rachel's pyjamas, "Oh."

"I'm so sorry Rachel. I thought you were ditching us for something else."

"Oh, Mon I wouldn't do that." She felt terrible about continuing to lie now that Monica is so concerned but she has to prove that she could be trusted with a secret. "I'm sure the one woman show is great."

"Maybe I should stay home."

"No, no! I just need some rest. You guys shouldn't let me stop you. I can take care of myself."

"Okay. If you need anything don't hesitate to call."

"Of course." Rachel looks over Monica's shoulder at Charlie. "It was nice meeting you."

"You too,"Charlie says.

Rachel goes inside her apartment. Joey is in the kitchen. "They bought it! For a while I thought for sure Monica had me figured out." She clasps her hands together. "I have to go change!" Rachel runs into her bedroom.

* * *

"How do I look?" Rachel is wearing a black dress with long sleeves and a collar that are a darker black than the rest of the dress. The her dress has a black see-through layer on top of a darker layer that has a pattern on the chest area and down from hips. She pairs the dress with black heels.

"Amazing," Joey says.

Rachel blushes. "Oh, you! You look great too."

"Thanks. Come on, we don't want to be late."

Rachel follows Joey out the door. There's a skip in her step as she follows him. "This is so exciting!"

"I know. Hey, Rach don't embarrass me okay? I have to see these people at work everyday, well almost everyday."

"Come on Joey! I already proved I could keep a secret. I can be cool around your actor friends."

Joey stops walking and Rachel walks into him. He turns around to look at her. "I'm sorry Rachel. I just really don't want to mess this up but I trust you really."

She smiles. "It's okay, Joey. I know how I can get. Maybe if I had made it big like you I wouldn't be so starstruck around all of your co-workers."

"Thanks for being so understanding." They stand in silence for a moment. Rachel realises that she's standing very close to Joey- any closer and she'd be pressed against him- so she takes a step back.

"Hey, it's no big deal. What are friends for?"

Joey starts walking again and Rachel decides to walk abreast of him. "If I embarrass you too much, you know there are some cute girls at my work. Maybe some of them would want to meet a soap star."

Joey smiles. "You just might be my best friend. Don't tell Chandler." Rachel giggles.

When they get to the roof, everything is already set up. The roof is partly illuminated by the lanterns strung up and plants decorated with lights, and partly by the city lights. There are tables and chairs, balloons, a buffet table filled with food and drinks and there's already music playing. _It would be so romantic to dance with someone up here, _Rachel thinks. _Without all of the tables and guests, just the two of us._

"Joey this is amazing! You do all this every year?"

He looks down at his feet in embarrassment. "Yeah, and it's not easy hiding it from you guys." _Wow. I never would have expected that type of response. She's certainly not mad at me anymore. _"Everyone will be here soon. The gang should be at that play by now."

"I hope it's not too bad. You always send us to the worse places. Like that museum tour that one year."

"That wasn't me. Must have been Ross's idea."

Rachel laughs. "Yeah. That sounds like Ross."

* * *

Joey greets some people. "Hey! Hey alright! Hey, glad you could make it." He shakes a man's hand. "Thanks for coming." Eventually people stop coming in and Joey moves through the crowd to find Rachel.

When he finds her Rachel is talking to a guy who hands her a tissue with something written on it. Joey walks up to Rachel as the man leaves.

"He gave me his number."

"Are you going to call him?"

"I don't know. You know everyone here better than I do. Do you think I should call him?"

"No."

Rachel blinks in surprise. "Why? What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing but he's not good enough for you. None of the guys here are and you deserve the best."

"Aw, Joey." She punches his arm lightly. "You're making me blush."

"It's true."

"Do you want to dance?"

"Sure."

Rachel spent most of the night dancing with Joey. They were grinding against each other when a slow song came on. Rachel automatically moves her hand to Joey's shoulder. Joey intertwines one hand with her hand and moves the other hand to her hip.

"I had forgotten that I had even included any slow songs."

"I'm glad there are." Rachel looks up at him. Her lip gloss shines in the dim light.

"My God you look beautiful." Their lips meet in a kiss as they dance.

When their lips part Rachel says "I had a dream about you."

"You did?"

Rachel rests her head against Joey's chest as they swung along to the music. "Yeah. I dreamed that I wanted to kiss you but I wasn't sure if it meant anything. Seems silly now since clearly it does. I guess I was just afraid of making everything awkward."

"Hey, you don't have to worry about that."

"I'm not sure about that. What if this doesn't work out and I have to move out?"

"If it came to that, I'll move out."

"You can't raid Monica's fridge then."

Joey laughs. "I'm a soap star now. I'd manage."

Rachel sighs. "I wish this moment could last forever."

"Yeah, me too."

* * *

The next day Joey and Chandler are hanging out in Joey's kitchen.

"Really, that play changed my life," Chandler says.

"Nice try. You hated it." Getting Joey to watch that play is exactly how Chandler would get revenge. But Joey knows Chandler's taste and that play wasn't it.

"No, no I loved it!"

"Chandler I'm an actor. I-"

"Alright fine. I hated that play. We all hated that play."

"Even Monica?"

"The woman in that play yelled and there was no intermission."

"Gee, guys I'm sorry." _I actually feel kind of bad. I'll try harder next year when I'm picking something for them to do. _

"Ah, at least I had company while I was miserable."

"Why didn't you guys just leave?"

"We were going to at one point but then she scared us and we ended up staying for the rest." Chandler sighs. "How was work? I don't think I've ever seen you get up early."

"Same old, same old." He wants to tell Chandler about last night but he thinks that he should talk to Rachel first. "Expect I was really tired while trying to read my lines."

"Ross asked Charlie out so at least someone got something from last night."

"That's great. She seems nice."

"I just wonder how Rachel is going to handle this."

"They haven't dated in forever. They're allowed to see other people. We shouldn't worry unless Rachel says she's uncomfortable." _And I really hope she doesn't and not just for the sake of her, Ross and Charlie. Last night really could have been the start of something great. I'd rather it not be over before it begins. _

"I guess you're right. Hey! Want to play some Foosball?"

"Sure."

* * *

Rachel has been thinking about her night with Joey since she woke up in his room that morning. He had made them pancakes before they both went off to work and all that she could think about was how lucky she was. She knows that she should tell everyone before what happened to Chandler and Monica happens to her and Joey but she doesn't know how to.

Ross might over react like he had back then and Rachel doesn't know how to handle that. She is completely over him but is he really over her? The man kept a crush from high school alive well into adult hood. It is weird now that she really thinks about it. Ross and her hadn't even been friends in high school, other men in Ross's place would have forgotten all about her.

_I can't let Ross rule my life. He was incredibly possessive while we were dating, he doesn't get to be while we aren't. When I tell him and he'll just have to accept it. If he can't accept this, then that's his problem. _Rachel leans back in her desk chair. She decides that she'll tell Monica first. She did tell Monica about her dream and Monica is her best friend. With that sorted she can concentrate on work better.

* * *

When Rachel gets home she's pleased to see Joey is already home too. They share a brief kiss.

"I want to tell Monica about us."

"I want to tell Chandler."

"Oh, good. I wasn't sure if you wanted to tell people yet."

"Rachel, I don't want to sneak around as if we're doing something wrong."

"I don't either. When should we tell them?"

"I don't know but soon. Maybe we should get everyone together for dinner."

"That sounds great but I really want to tell Monica now. Can we tell Monica and Chandler first? We'll get to Phoebe later and then Ross."

"Or we could tell Phoebe and Ross at the same time. You know how I got when I had to keep Chandler and Monica a secret."

"You know how Ross got when he found out about Chandler and Monica. I don't want a repeat of that."

"I don't either." Rachel hugs him from behind. He turns his head to look at her. "If you want to talk to Monica I can watch Emma."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It's not like I've never watched her before and she's asleep anyway."

Rachel kisses his cheek. "Thanks. I don't know where this is going yet but I'm really excited!"

"Me too!"

She runs out the door into the hall and knocks on the door across from their apartment. Monica opens the door. "Hey Rachel. You look excited."

"I have to tell you something." Rachel tries to look behind Monica. "Ross, isn't here is he?"

"No. Is this about Ross?"

"No but I don't want to tell him yet. You know my dream about kissing Joey?"

"You had anyone dream about Joey?"

"No. I kissed him. We were talking and things just happened."

Monica turns around. "RACHEL KISSED JOEY!"

Chandler enters the door frame. "You didn't have to yell. I was still in the kitchen."

Monica looks sheepish. "Sorry." She spins around to face Rachel. "Honey, you should tell Ross."

"We will but this thing between Joey and I is still really new and I don't want to go through what you and Chandler went through."

"Some of which you helped put us through," Chandler says.

Rachel winces. "I'm sorry."

Chandler shrugs. "Eh, it's alright."

"This is great. Chandler and I finally have someone to do couples nights with!"

"Mon, they just started dating. Couples night wouldn't be for..." Chandler furrows his eyebrows. "A while right?" he asks Rachel.

"I guess. We haven't discussed stuff like that. I guess we're taking it slow."

"Do you want to come in?" Monica asks.

"Some other time. I feel like spending a quiet night at home."

"Have a good night," Chandler says.

"Give Emma our love!"

"Bye you guys. I will."

Once back in her apartment Rachel closes the door and sees Joey standing over Emma's cradle. He turns his head and smiles at her. "Hey! Emma's fine. She probably won't sleep through the night though."

"It's so sweet seeing you with her like this." Rachel walks over and kisses his cheek.

"I know she's not my kid but I really want to be there for her."

"That's so sweet!" Rachel puts her hands across her chest. She looks back at Emma. "Sometimes I wish she could stay this age forever. And then she starts crying..."

Joey chuckles. "So how did Monica and Chandler take the news."

"Really well. Monica wants us to do couples nights." Rachel frowns. "She thinks we should tell Ross."

"We will eventually, right?"

"Right. Let's not think about it now. What do you want for dinner?"

"Pizza."

"Pizza is good."

* * *

Her dress in this episode is great but how does one describe it? This story is unrelated to the One where Rachel goes to Paris.


End file.
